Interview and Excerpt: The Way by Kristen Wolf
Thanks to Kristen Wolf for stopping by with a Q&A and excerpt from The Way. Please visit her tour page at CLP Blog Tours for more information and a giveaway!
**Interview**
When did you know writing was for you?When I was about seven years old, I started making my own “books” by folding over and stapling papers from my Dad’s legal pads. I tried to make them as authentic as possible by including tables of contents, chapter numbers, and illustrations. So I think I’ve always had a fascination with writing. And reading. Yet, it took me until I was forty to finish a novel. I’d been writing all that time, but never thought I had something that was publication-worthy. That changed when I finished THE WAY.
How would you describe your books?Every book I’m ever going to write will likely have the same characteristics. Those being: iconoclastic, fantastical, sensual (i.e. drawing heavily on the senses), cinematic (because I “see” the scene before I write about it), and provocative. For me, the power of story lies in its ability to challenge our beliefs, our paradigms and our assumptions. In other words, in imagining the world as it “could be” rather than “as it is.” In other words, I’m not going to write novels that describe the human condition or experience as much as ones that explore challenging ideas.
I read that you plan on making a trilogy – how exciting! Are you currently working on the next title?
I actually just finished the first draft of another novel, though it’s not from THE WAY trilogy! Writing that first title was a long process and I felt like I needed a break from that world. That said, both of the next books are sketched out and, in some cases, partially written. The central idea and purpose behind the trilogy is to bring The Way into our world today, and then bring it into the future – to explore the possibilities this would offer us.
Taking a break was good, but I’m looking forward to diving back. I miss everybody!
What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?
Honestly? Finding balance. Once I get hooked by an idea, I tend to over-work. Or so I’m told! What I’m trying to remember now is that famous Chinese quote that “The journey of a thousand miles begin with a single step.” To that I would add: “And is completed by taking one step at a time.” In other words, writing three pages a day, every day, rather than writing eighty pages in four days, will yield the same results. And the true reward is that a more consistent approach, rather than an obsessive one, allows me to remain engaged in the rest of my life.
What are your favorite genres to read?
I read a wide variety of books. My secret loves are poetry and science. I read heavily in both these genres. I also enjoy fiction, though I tend toward novels that “break the mold” or explore big ideas, rather than those that appear on the bestseller list. The last book I read that really took my breath away was The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery.
What do you want readers to take away from your story?
Having felt first-hand how our stories can affect and influence our lives, I became convinced that what the world most needed was a new story to tell around our spirituality—an invigorating myth to prod and guide us.
Since the most powerful story I knew was that of Jesus, and since his character already possessed an intrinsic fluidity, I chose to reshape his mythology, his story, for our time.
THE WAY is, at its heart, an attempt to breathe new life into our collective mythology. It’s a tale that asks, “If it were thought possible that one of history’s greatest spiritual leaders had been female, how might women and men feel differently about themselves and their world?”
Unlike all other books on the subject, THE WAY does not claim to be a historical account, but a fiction that seeks to agitate and inspire. By mixing fact and fantasy, the novel seeks to touch a global nerve, offer hope, compel readers to question their beliefs, expand their spiritual boundaries, and seek new possibilities—not only for themselves, but for our collective future.
In other words, I hope THE WAY will encourage and empower readers to take responsibility for, and control of, their own spirituality.
How important do you think social media is for authors these days?
I think we’ve barely begun to scratch the surface of what social media will bring to the art of storytelling – both for authors and for readers. I think it’s creating new relationships not just among readers, but also between readers and their favorite authors. And even among the authors themselves! When people the world over can be in real-time conversation about a story, which is not far off, then I think we’ll find ourselves sitting around a global campfire, sharing our stories, and building a sense of boundary-less community as never before. I myself find this future potential incredibly exciting!
What would be your advice to aspiring writers?
The same advice that was given to me!
**Excerpt:
Curious to know what could be making her father so happy, Anna felt tempted topeek inside his shop. But she knew he would not welcome her visit, and did not wish toanger him.
As she went along, the goats kept at her. A few guinea hens soon joined. Annagripped the tray and kept her eyes on the shifting surface of milk. She did not need towatch where she was going. She could navigate by smell. When the scent of goats andhay gave way to the heavier odor of wood smoke, it meant she was near the farmers’houses where the women had stoked fires to bake bread. She heard the grunts of menloading their mules with supplies to take into the olive groves. The time of the harvesthad come. Anna lowered her face deeper into her shawl and hurried past. Despite thefamiliarity of the routine, of lifting fabric to face, she hated the act of hiding herself. Thetradition felt stifling—as though someone were standing on her chest.
**Everyone who leaves a comment on Kristen's tour page will be entered to win a $10 Amazon gift card! Anyone who purchases their copy of The Way before August 20 and sends their receipt to Samantha (at) ChickLitPlus (dot) com, will get five bonus entries.**
Author Bio: Kristen Wolf, 43, is a mother and writer living in the Rocky Mountains. She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Georgetown University and holds an M.A. in creative writing and film from Hollins College where she was awarded a full scholarship.As a child, Wolf grew up in a heavily forested suburb outside New York City with her parents, a younger brother, and an ever-changing menagerie of pet animals.Both Wolf’s parents and grandparents passed onto her an avid love and respect for nature which explains the photos of Wolf posing with an ever-widening array of pets, including cats, dogs, guinea pigs, mice, quail, two raccoons, chickens, even a squirrel that lived in her bedroom! Needless to say, hers wasn’t the average American family.Later, Wolf’s family purchased land in upstate New York and on weekends and summers lived like a regular Swiss Family Robinson, clearing the land, building fences, barns and, eventually, raising and tending cattle, horses, pigs, goats, chickens etc. This led to a very unique life for Wolf and her brother as they lived like farmers on the weekends and students in a suburban public school during the week.Wolf credits her unique childhood for providing her with keen powers of observation, a passion for living things, unlimited curiosity, and a strong independent streak.As an adult, Wolf has worked primarily as filmmaker and writer.THE WAY is her first novel - and will be out in paperback in November! Connect with Kristen!
website: http://www.kristenwolf.comamazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Way-Kristen-Wolf/dp/0307717690facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thewaynovelbook trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzwaQgMlJKg
**Interview**
When did you know writing was for you?When I was about seven years old, I started making my own “books” by folding over and stapling papers from my Dad’s legal pads. I tried to make them as authentic as possible by including tables of contents, chapter numbers, and illustrations. So I think I’ve always had a fascination with writing. And reading. Yet, it took me until I was forty to finish a novel. I’d been writing all that time, but never thought I had something that was publication-worthy. That changed when I finished THE WAY.
How would you describe your books?Every book I’m ever going to write will likely have the same characteristics. Those being: iconoclastic, fantastical, sensual (i.e. drawing heavily on the senses), cinematic (because I “see” the scene before I write about it), and provocative. For me, the power of story lies in its ability to challenge our beliefs, our paradigms and our assumptions. In other words, in imagining the world as it “could be” rather than “as it is.” In other words, I’m not going to write novels that describe the human condition or experience as much as ones that explore challenging ideas.
I read that you plan on making a trilogy – how exciting! Are you currently working on the next title?
I actually just finished the first draft of another novel, though it’s not from THE WAY trilogy! Writing that first title was a long process and I felt like I needed a break from that world. That said, both of the next books are sketched out and, in some cases, partially written. The central idea and purpose behind the trilogy is to bring The Way into our world today, and then bring it into the future – to explore the possibilities this would offer us.
Taking a break was good, but I’m looking forward to diving back. I miss everybody!
What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?
Honestly? Finding balance. Once I get hooked by an idea, I tend to over-work. Or so I’m told! What I’m trying to remember now is that famous Chinese quote that “The journey of a thousand miles begin with a single step.” To that I would add: “And is completed by taking one step at a time.” In other words, writing three pages a day, every day, rather than writing eighty pages in four days, will yield the same results. And the true reward is that a more consistent approach, rather than an obsessive one, allows me to remain engaged in the rest of my life.
What are your favorite genres to read?
I read a wide variety of books. My secret loves are poetry and science. I read heavily in both these genres. I also enjoy fiction, though I tend toward novels that “break the mold” or explore big ideas, rather than those that appear on the bestseller list. The last book I read that really took my breath away was The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery.
What do you want readers to take away from your story?
Having felt first-hand how our stories can affect and influence our lives, I became convinced that what the world most needed was a new story to tell around our spirituality—an invigorating myth to prod and guide us.
Since the most powerful story I knew was that of Jesus, and since his character already possessed an intrinsic fluidity, I chose to reshape his mythology, his story, for our time.
THE WAY is, at its heart, an attempt to breathe new life into our collective mythology. It’s a tale that asks, “If it were thought possible that one of history’s greatest spiritual leaders had been female, how might women and men feel differently about themselves and their world?”
Unlike all other books on the subject, THE WAY does not claim to be a historical account, but a fiction that seeks to agitate and inspire. By mixing fact and fantasy, the novel seeks to touch a global nerve, offer hope, compel readers to question their beliefs, expand their spiritual boundaries, and seek new possibilities—not only for themselves, but for our collective future.
In other words, I hope THE WAY will encourage and empower readers to take responsibility for, and control of, their own spirituality.
How important do you think social media is for authors these days?
I think we’ve barely begun to scratch the surface of what social media will bring to the art of storytelling – both for authors and for readers. I think it’s creating new relationships not just among readers, but also between readers and their favorite authors. And even among the authors themselves! When people the world over can be in real-time conversation about a story, which is not far off, then I think we’ll find ourselves sitting around a global campfire, sharing our stories, and building a sense of boundary-less community as never before. I myself find this future potential incredibly exciting!
What would be your advice to aspiring writers?
The same advice that was given to me!
**Excerpt:
Curious to know what could be making her father so happy, Anna felt tempted topeek inside his shop. But she knew he would not welcome her visit, and did not wish toanger him.
As she went along, the goats kept at her. A few guinea hens soon joined. Annagripped the tray and kept her eyes on the shifting surface of milk. She did not need towatch where she was going. She could navigate by smell. When the scent of goats andhay gave way to the heavier odor of wood smoke, it meant she was near the farmers’houses where the women had stoked fires to bake bread. She heard the grunts of menloading their mules with supplies to take into the olive groves. The time of the harvesthad come. Anna lowered her face deeper into her shawl and hurried past. Despite thefamiliarity of the routine, of lifting fabric to face, she hated the act of hiding herself. Thetradition felt stifling—as though someone were standing on her chest.
**Everyone who leaves a comment on Kristen's tour page will be entered to win a $10 Amazon gift card! Anyone who purchases their copy of The Way before August 20 and sends their receipt to Samantha (at) ChickLitPlus (dot) com, will get five bonus entries.**
Author Bio: Kristen Wolf, 43, is a mother and writer living in the Rocky Mountains. She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Georgetown University and holds an M.A. in creative writing and film from Hollins College where she was awarded a full scholarship.As a child, Wolf grew up in a heavily forested suburb outside New York City with her parents, a younger brother, and an ever-changing menagerie of pet animals.Both Wolf’s parents and grandparents passed onto her an avid love and respect for nature which explains the photos of Wolf posing with an ever-widening array of pets, including cats, dogs, guinea pigs, mice, quail, two raccoons, chickens, even a squirrel that lived in her bedroom! Needless to say, hers wasn’t the average American family.Later, Wolf’s family purchased land in upstate New York and on weekends and summers lived like a regular Swiss Family Robinson, clearing the land, building fences, barns and, eventually, raising and tending cattle, horses, pigs, goats, chickens etc. This led to a very unique life for Wolf and her brother as they lived like farmers on the weekends and students in a suburban public school during the week.Wolf credits her unique childhood for providing her with keen powers of observation, a passion for living things, unlimited curiosity, and a strong independent streak.As an adult, Wolf has worked primarily as filmmaker and writer.THE WAY is her first novel - and will be out in paperback in November! Connect with Kristen!
website: http://www.kristenwolf.comamazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Way-Kristen-Wolf/dp/0307717690facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thewaynovelbook trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzwaQgMlJKg
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